Amerikana – concerning or characteristic of America, its civilization, or its culture; broadly, this is typical of America. In a series of photographs, many of which are frequently paired, Mark John Ostrowski provides a series of photographs that places doubt on the ability of any one, or even a series of photographs, to broadly typify a culture.

The background story is that Ostrowski was born in America, but moved to Spain many years ago, and has returned to America to investigate memories and a place that is no longer home.

Many of his paired photographs provide contrasting viewpoints to a similar subject and investigates the broad diversity and contradictions that can be found in any culture, least a country as expansive as America. His photographs show in a documentary style the upbeat with the despondent, the light and airy as opposed to the dark and moody situations.

Ostrowski’s photographs are but save for one color photograph, black and white. The outside borders indicate that the photographs may have been made by either a view camera or medium format camera, but nevertheless of the type of camera, there is spontaneity within the photographs, and usually a direct contact between the photographer and his subject. Ostrowski is a street photographer with a practiced eye for both the humorous as well as the poignant situations and has created an interesting narrative about Amerikana.

Introductory essay by Antonio Molinero Cardenal with the text provided only in Spanish.